Many people still do not think Facebook is a relevant marketing and communication tool. Well, what if IBM was helping you? A friend of mine, Mike Short (who is very tall), shared this article and I thought it was worthy of passing along.

The new division, Smarter Commerce, features services such as using analysis to tailor marketing and brand assessment on Facebook Inc. or Twitter Inc. in real time, Craig Hayman, a general manager in the IBM software unit, said in a telephone interview last week.

Companies seeking the best ways to market and sell to customers are using more social media and mobile devices, Hayman said. Hardware, software and services that help companies do that will be a $70 billion market opportunity this year, he said.

“It gives you a view on your products and services and how your spend in social media — whether that’s Facebook or Twitter or any other social media engine — is resonating,” Hayman said.

The division will be part of the Armonk, New York-based company’s Smarter Planet initiative, which uses technology to monitor anything from cities to hospitals to make them more efficient. IBM expects the program to be a $10 billion business in 2015.

The services help companies analyze who views their social media efforts, by using Web browsing history and other information to give a picture of customers and how they behave.

Facebook

“Say I have a Facebook page. What are the dynamics of the customers coming into Facebook? How many of them are buying? How old are they?” Hayman said.

IBM worked with one college that was trying to boost its global presence with social media. After analyzing the campaign with IBM, they learned people from only two zip codes were viewing the pages.

Last Mothers’ Day, IBM helped a North American retailer track who was buying its products and how. A trend popped up: Of customers buying from a mobile device, most — and the biggest spenders — were using Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPad.

“It shows you iPad users think of their mothers quite a bit,” Hayman said. “We also could tell who was thinking of them late, tracking it hour by hour.”

The company is also working with 1-800-Flowers.com Inc. (FLWS), helping the flower-and-gift retailer track their customers’ use of the site. The service can show whether they’re looking for birthday flowers, how often they visit the site and how much they spend.

“We’ll be able to categorize all of our customers into buckets,” Chief Information Officer Steve Bozzo said in a phone interview last week. “We may actually have different promotions for the good customers.”

IBM fell $1.07 to $161.36 at 10:58 a.m. in New York Stock Exchange composite trading. The shares had climbed 11 percent this year before today.

When I am asked to speak on Social Media, such as my talk “The Big 5 of Social Media” and talk about how main stream Facebook has become. I tell business leaders that if they do not have a Fan Page on Facebook, it’s like not having a free one page add in the Yellow Pages of the past.

Now, the Cameron County District Attorney in Brownsville, Texas is using Facebook to help pick jury members. This is confirmation of how Facebook has become a common communication tool. So, if your not on Facebook, you are missing out on a current and effective communication method.

Please see the following article for the rest of the story on the Cameron County District Attorney use of Facebook and let me know what you think.

Texas County to Use Facebook to Help Pick Jurors

HOUSTON – Most people use social media for just that — the social part. But websites like Facebook gather personal information that is very attractive to many. Now, the Cameron County District Attorney in the Brownsville area will use Facebook to help pick a jury.

Because attorneys for sides in a trial can strike jurors, every bit of data helps the decision making process. So when you think of Facebook as a massive source of personal information… you start to get an idea of its value.

Defense attorney and FOX 26 legal analyst Chris Tritico has been using social media for years, “Facebook and MySpace… any of these pages, we’ll look at it as an investigative tool to get background on witnesses and other people.”

We had Tritico look at the pages of random people on Facebook. Many had their pages open for everyone to see. It didn’t take Tritico long to start forming an opinion, “The most important thing to me on this page is religious views… outgrew fairy tales decades ago.” I asked him, “What does that tell you though?” Tritico replied “That tells me a whole lot about this individual in his views and it says he’s a party member of the Socialist party that tells me that he’s really if you’re looking from just a conservative liberal point, I’m going to put this guy more… in a criminal defense case… on the defensive side of issues.”

Tritico will also browse photos that can indicate if the person has a family, travels a lot or attends a lot of parties. Even favorite music and movies can help fill in the blanks, “I’d want to know what caused him to list these on his page. That just tells you something about his insight. Once you get him talking about how he feels about things you move that into the legal field.”

I asked the veteran attorney if he could seat a jury just by using Facebook and he did not hesitate, “Absolutely. I can get enough information off Facebook pages to ask the questions I need to ask of each individual juror… to find the information I need. I’ve already gotten in my head what I want to ask. Facebook just gives me some background questions that allows me to open them up and talk to me some more to find out more about them.”

With over 500 million users worldwide, Facebook has a lot of information on hand. As an added bonus, for those who want that information — it’s free.

Original Story: http://www.myfoxhouston.com/dpp/news/scitech/110117-texas-county-to-use-facebook-to-help-pick-jury

Have you seen the new photo sharing app called Path? It was developed by former Facebook employee Dave Morin and Shaw Fanning of Facebook and Napster fame. Most of the Blogs, forums and reviews are hammering the new app for its lack of functionality and limitations–like being able to only connect with 50 friends. I contend they are on the right path by offering an app with limited functionality.

Take a look at TechCrunch blogger Eric Schonfeld comment; “Path is designed to share photos with only your closest 50 friends, primarily through the app itself. You can’t Tweet out links to your photos or share them on Facebook”. But remember this is version 1.0. I’m sure as Path increases in usage V1.1 or V2.0 will offer more features.

“I find it refreshing to see a project launch with such a tight focus and function. Clearly the aim of Path is to be the very best at one thing vs. pretty good at a lot of things” says Jason Franzen of [x]Cube LABS in Dallas. “This is an approach to admire in a sea of “Swiss Army Knife” apps that tend to equate Quantity with Value.”

What Jason is referring to is the attempt of developers or clients to add too many features to an initial application. This complicates the development process and often creates confusion for the end user. Think back to when Facebook first started, (or remember the movie) it offered a picture and status update “what are you doing now”. Over time features and functions have been added to become a robust social media network.

If you are considering an app for the iPhone, iPad, Android, BlackBerry or Microsoft platforms, keep it simple! Start with a set of high value features that will attract new users. If the applications is interesting, solves a problem, or is entertaining then people will use it and tell others. Once usage is high enough, then release version 2.0 with added functionality. If you are smart, provide a means for users to suggest new features and help you prioritize updates.

As Franzen says “The smart phone is already the ‘Swiss Army Knife’, all we really need are new blades to help us cut to the chase.”

What events will lead you to more business?

Events are a great way to meet prospective clients, vendors and partners, but how do you identify the right events to grow your business? Here are few thoughts to consider and I welcome your feedback:

If the group meets weekly with little change in attendance, skip it!

Look for groups with some kind of educational component like speakers and workshops that will help you think outside your own beliefs and grow.

If group has requirements like 7 visits, 7 guest, and 7 one-on-one meetings just to join, skip it. They are more interested in meeting then getting results.

Look for groups that gather around new trends and ideas. These usually collect people that are on the go and �on the grow.

If the group is “just for networking”, skip it. It is short sighted and non-sustainable in the long run.

Look for the value exchange: what value do you bring and what value is given to you. As long as there is a good value exchange, it makes since to attend. When the value declines, find another event to attend.

My favorite events are: at unique locations, with new people, with smart people, people on the go, well educated people, good communicators and those who are creating new business. Oh yea, they usually have money or about to have money. The Ritz Carlton is one of my favorite places.

SMB Social Media Happy Hour – Monthly event, changing locations, small intimate conversation about social media for business growth Sponsor: JR. Atkins & Something Different Companies.Last Tuesday at the Ritz Monthly event, on the Patio at the Ritz, M&A oriented, finance, law, start up’s and more Sponsor: John Willding, Corporate and Securities Partner at Strasburger & Price, LLP

Social Media Club of Dallas – Monthly event, location varies, covers anything and everything social media and related. Sponsor, Social Media Club of Dallas

Tower Club – Anytime I can attend an event at the Tower Club, I know it will be a quality function. I’m not a member, (yet) but I keep my eye open for events that welcome guest. The Tower Club

Chambers � I scan the local chamber websites for unique, high quality events with good speakers. Watch out for the early morning groups as they can be small and limit your exposure. The Dallas Regional Chamber

$100 Events – If it cost close to $100 for a full day event, you are usually going to meet people committed to their craft and on the go. If you only attend $25 events, you may be limiting yourself.

What have I over looked? Please share your thoughts so we can all get better.